Short Takes: News from the International Trade Administration

International Buyer Program Accepting Applications for 2012

The International Business Center (right) at a recent trade show, the Greater New York Dental Meeting. These business centers are provided by trade show organizers participating in the Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program, which is now accepting applications for 2012. (U.S. Department of Commerce photo)

Trade show organizers interested in participating in the Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program (IBP) during 2012 have until November 1, 2010, to submit an application. Under the program, trade specialists from ITA's U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS) and the Department of State recruit and foreign lead buyer delegations from around the world to approximately 35 participating IBP shows in the United States.

IBP was established to bring international buyers together with U.S. firms by promoting leading U.S. trade shows in industries with high export potential. This cooperative effort between the Department of Commerce and trade show organizers benefits U.S. firms exhibiting at selected events by providing them with practical, hands-on assistance, such as export counseling and market analysis by ITA's country and industry experts, a listing in an “export interest” directory, and matchmaking services.

Show organizers participating in IBP also agree to provide access to an international business center at their shows, where representatives from exhibiting U.S. companies can meet privately with prospective international buyers, sales representatives, and potential business partners.

In 2009, IBP brought more than 9,140 foreign buyers and their representatives to U.S. trade shows.

New Videos Explain Export Basics

Many U.S. company owners and managers mistakenly believe that they need a license to sell their products to buyers in other countries. However, only a small percentage of products need export licenses. This topic and many others are addressed in a series of eight new videos produced by the Department of Commerce’s Trade Information Center and the Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division.

The videos explain many details of exporting, which can be daunting to even experienced exporters. For example, as the videos clarify, even if a product does not need a license, the exporter still has an obligation to check online lists to make sure that its products are not going to so-called “denied parties”—that is, people or institutions that have previously violated U.S. export laws or have been deemed to pose a security risk. The videos explain how to check the lists and, more generally, how to classify products that require a license and those that do not.

In addition to export licensing, other videos address how to use export statistics to identify best markets for U.S. products; the role of a freight forwarder; letters of credit; and recent changes to AESDirect, the Census Bureau’s online system for filing a shipper’s export declaration.

According to the Trade Information Center’s Doug Barry, who oversaw production, this group of new videos joins 12 others to create a comprehensive educational package for U.S. exporters and would-be exporters.

“The first set of videos were viewed online more than 60,000 times,” said Barry. “With these 20 videos complementing the Department of Commerce’s fast-selling book, A Basic Guide to Exporting, we’re on our way to helping U.S. companies increase their exports in line with the National Export Initiative.”

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